Some people will never understand EcoModders
 

I've been trying to actively recruit people to become EcoModders and to reduce their carbon footprint and dependence on foreign oil.

I have posted my results on other web forums, hoping that the tremendous savings I have gotten will influence others who were unaware of just how beneficial hypermiling can be.

Needless to say, some people just refuse. One person tried to argue that it is better to drive with the A/C at a slower speed than with the windows down. Another told me that by shifting at a low RPM I was going to destroy my engine. He claimed that 4 cylinder cars like mine required shifting at a higher RPM.

I hope everyone else is having better luck than I am having.

Yeah, I'm having better luck spreading the word with my modest improvements to show for it (33mpg -> 38mpg) but the people I talked to were desperate to save money on gas, didn't know much about cars and trusted me.

Some people will never understand, because most people are morons. It's that simple.

Interestingly, though, there's a substantial fraction of the Scionlife forum that I read that actually seems to take efficiency into consideration, which is pretty interesting. I've never seen an "enthusiast" forum where so many people boast and/or complain about their mileage.

atomicradish -

I copied Chris D and have a "41+ Total MPG" sign in my rear window. In the last two weeks, two strangers have approached me. Since then, I put the Ecomodder tri-fold pamphlets in my car so I am ready.

I know of at least one friend that joined after talking to me.

On saturnfans.com, I wait for someone to post a thread that has something to do with MPG and I pipe up if I have experience with it.

I'm like a trap-door spider, I wait for people to come up to me and ask. Then, I POUNCE!!!!!!

CarloSW2

People will only change when they want to change. Right now we are seeing the first wave of resistance called denial (going fast is cool, SUV's are rad). They will come around though, once gas reaches $6 a gallon.

I don't think people are stupid, I just think people take the thing they learn first about cars and cling to that. Plus some people are bitter when they have to spend to much on gas and then you're doing so much better than them, :p

Keeping a happy face about it is what's important though, we won't be able to bully anyone into it.

Agreed on the waiting for someone to ask bit.

The only people I say anything to "out of the blue" are the ones who leave their trucks idling while they complain about the price of diesel. They ALWAYS deny that they are using more fuel (one guy told me break even for shut off was 1 hour).

The homemade fender skirts get attention. In the parking lot at work they point and ask, "What's that about". My response, I shrug and say, "It's about 50 miles per gallon". That gets there attention. One guy came in the control room and said, "I down shifted going up a hill and Stacy(gf) said "Guy wouldn't do that."" So he had to come find out why I wouldn't do that. I've dropped ecomodder on maybe 10 people in the last 2 weeks. Even an Auto Plus guy asked me twice how to spell ecomodder and wrote it down. People want to know about economy but just don't have a source. If you put a mod on your vehicle that standsout they will ask.

homeworkhome53

I have the same problem convincing people that hypermiling can get up to 50% or better fuel economy. "THEY" all believe that you get what you get, and that cruise control is THE way for best fuel economy.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink...

There's an old saying about why addicts persist in self-destructive behavior:

"It doesn't hurt badly enough yet."

...until it does, they won't change.

I have a friend who thinks electric cars aren't worth it and they can pry the ICE from his cold dead hands. Then when he asked why I was driving so slow, I said "because it took me from 375 miles a tank to over 500." That got his attention.

This makes me think of the number of people I know that think it takes more energy to turn a light bulb on in their house than to leave it on. The same is often said about your computer... many think it uses less energy to leave it running then to shut it down and restart it later. Even the 'experts' in our local electric company newsletter say to only shut down the computer if you are going to walk away from it for more than an hour.

My belief with regard to this mentality is that people are going to believe to be true that which they want to be true, regardless.

Different strokes for different folks.

Some people will never understand drag racing. Some people will never understand off roading. Some people will never understand drifting. Some people will never understand Cars all together.

If they don't care to bother with this, then move on with it and keep doing what you do best..

Recently when i walk out of work (i am part time cause im young) there is one of my full-time co-workers sitting in there in his car (big suv) enjoying a cigarette (cancer stick) with the windows open (there goes his a/c) reading a book, why not just go out and smoke (or quit altogether) and then come back into the building to read.

Ugh, I see that more than I care to as well

Here a sample from another forum I belong to. The title of this thread is how to increase fuel economy. mind that this is on a forum for an already "fuel-efficient" car, and the recommendations are across the board to "increase" power???????? tstststs, I know I will get heat for my posting there:

Fuel economy thread

I like the "it doesn't hurt enough yet" theory. I know my Metro is the brunt of daily jokes at work, but they all end with someone saying they got my king of gas mileage. Sweet vindication...

Hmmm... Maybe I should quit smoking, too.

"Success Envy" -- it can be applied to sooo many things in society today. It's too bad that so many folks spend more time "hating" than improving.

Excellent point -- being preachy and "holier-than-thou" will only turn folks off.

There are some elements of truth to their statements.
1) Chips increase timing; which by all accounts does increase tdi economy.
2) Larger Injectors do inject fuel closer to the optimal point (effectively more timing advance).

And they do stress slowing down.

Yes, but 15% or from 50 to 57.5MPG. Is chip tuning the first thing you would recommend? You and I both know how hard it is to get to that, and if there was an easy add-on purchase that "measurably" bumps up your MPG by 7.5 I would buy it, who wouldn't? Buy and extra 100miles per tank fill, I want that gadget. He still claims he averages 58MPG with all the "performance" mods he made. Just continue to keep and eye on this thread it gets funnier.

For a TDI, i have heard that chipping can massively improve both FE and power, or pick one to optimize. Basically the stock engine has major room for improvement, though i can't imagine why they didn't do this from the factory.

I don't push it. If people ask, I'll talk about what I'm doing. Surprisingly few people ask though.

There you have it.